dragonfly | insect | Britannica.com Dragonfly Alternative Titles: Anisoptera, darner, darning needle, devil’s arrow, devil’s darning needle Related Topics insect Dragonfly (suborder Anisoptera), also called darner, devil’s arrow, or devil’s darning needle, any of a group of roughly 3,000 species of aerial predatory insects most commonly found near freshwater habitats throughout most of the world. Damselflies (suborder Zygoptera) are sometimes also called dragonflies in that both are odonates (order Odonata ). Dragonfly (Libellula forensis). E.S. Ross Distinguishing characteristics and flight behaviour Dragonfly species (Anisoptera) are characterized by long bodies with two narrow pairs of intricately veined, membranous wings that, while generally transparent, may have coloured markings. Unlike damselflies, the front and rear wing pairs are shaped differently. In addition, dragonflies rest with their wings spread horizontally, rather than held vertically against each other (with the exception of one very small family, Epiophlebiidae). Dragonflies have a more powerful build and are generally much stronger fliers than damselflies.

The globe skimmer (or wandering glider, Pantala flavescens), a migratory dragonfly, for example, makes an annual multigenerational journey of some 18,000 km (about 11,200 miles); to complete the migration , individual globe skimmers fly more than 6,000 km (3,730 miles)—one of the farthest known migrations of all insect species. Dragonflies also have huge bulging eyes that occupy most of the head, giving some a field of vision approaching 360 degrees. Swift long-winged skimmer (Pachydiplax longipennis). © Index Open The winged adults are diversely coloured in a variety of shades ranging from metallic to pastel. Compared with other insects, they are large, with some having wingspans of up to 16 cm (about 6 inches). Even the smallest species are about 20 mm (0.8 inch) across. As well as being extremely agile fliers, they are also among the fastest insects.

Dragonfly wing muscles must be warm to function optimally, and so, if cool, the insect often engages in wing-whirring and basking in the sun to generate heat before taking flight. The dragonfly’s speed and agility contribute to its being one of the most effective aerial predators. Small flying insects are the usual fare, but some dragonflies regularly consume prey that is 60 percent of their own weight. Life cycle and reproduction damselfly Young dragonflies, called larvae or sometimes nymphs or naiads, are aquatic and are as dedicated predators under water as the adults are in the air. The functionally wingless larvae are usually mottled or dull in colour, matching the sediments or water plants among which they live. They have bulging eyes somewhat similar to the adults, but possess a formidable anatomical structure not present in the adult. Called the “mask,” it is a fusion of the larva’s third pair of mouthparts. Disproportionately large, the mask folds beneath both the head and thorax when it is not in use. At the end of the mask is a set of fanglike pincers used to seize prey such as worms, crustaceans, tadpoles, and small fish .

Different species of dragonfly larvae can be described as sprawlers, burrowers, hiders, or claspers. Their shape, metabolism, and respiration differ concordantly with the microhabitat they occupy. A dragonfly larva captures a fish by extending its labial mask. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. Slow-motion animation demonstrates how a dragonfly larva extends its labial mask to capture prey. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. Larvae crawl from eggs laid in or near water. Some species lay their eggs inside plant tissue, others attach their eggs to substrates at or above the water’s surface, and some may drop or wash their eggs from their abdomen onto water. Larvae absorb oxygen from the water using gills inside the rectum . The abdomen draws water in and pumps it out again through the anus. Water can be forcibly expelled in this way, resulting in jet propulsion as a means of escape. Solid waste is also expelled in this manner. As the larva grows, it molts, its future wings first becoming apparent about halfway through the larva’s development. These wing sheaths then enlarge rapidly with each successive molt.

Eventually, the larva crawls out of the water (often at night) and molts one last time, emerging as an adult and leaving behind a cast skin (exuvia). Britannica Stories Ringling Bros. Folds Its Tent Dragonflies, like damselflies, exhibit a mating posture unique to the Odonata. The male and female contort themselves into the “wheel” position before sperm is transferred. Before and after mating, dragonflies often fly in tandem, with the male towing the female in flight using claspers at the tip of his abdomen to grip the back of her head. Pairs of some species may remain in tandem while the female lays her eggs. Descriptive names Ultimate Animals Quiz Many dragonfly families have descriptive common names associated with their scientific names. Examples include the hawkers (Aeshnidae), petaltails (Petaluridae), and clubtails (Gomphidae). Numerous other names related to neither taxonomy nor fact have traditionally been applied to dragonflies, such as horse stinger. Dragonflies have also been known as “snake doctors” in the American South, owing to the superstition that they nurse ill snakes back to health.

The term devil’s darning needle is derived from a superstition that dragonflies may sew up the eyes, ears, or mouth of a sleeping child, especially one who has misbehaved. In reality, dragonflies present no danger to humans. Widow skimmer (Libellula luctuosa). Dragonfly dictionary definition | dragonfly defined LINK / CITE ADD TO WORD LIST The dragonfly is sometimes called the devil's darning needle. The devil's darning needle is a dragonfly. noun The definition of a dragonfly is a flying insect with two pairs of narrow wings and a long slender body. An example of a dragonfly is the Green-eyed Hawker. dragonfly pl. -·flies· any of an order (Odonata) or suborder (Anisoptera) of large insects, harmless to people, having narrow, transparent, net-veined wings and feeding mostly on flies, mosquitoes, etc.

while in flight dragonfly noun Any of numerous predatory insects of the order Odonata, having large eyes, a long slender body, and two pairs of transparent veined wings, especially those of the order Anisoptera, which hold the wings outstretched when at rest, as distinguished from the damselflies. Also called regionally darner, darning needle, devil's darning needle, mosquito fly, mosquito hawk, needle, skeeter hawk, snake doctor, snake feeder, spindle. Our Living Language Regional terms for the dragonfly are numerous—the Dictionary of American Regional English lists nearly 80 of them. The greatest variety of terms is to be found in the South, where the most widespread term is snake doctor (a name based on a folk belief that dragonflies take care of snakes). The Midland equivalent is snake feeder. Speakers from the Lower South and the Mississippi Valley, on the other hand, are more likely to refer to the same insect as a mosquito fly, mosquito hawk, or, in the South Atlantic states, a skeeter hawk.

The imagery outside the South often alludes to the insect's shape rather than its behavior or diet: speakers in the West, in the Upper North, and in New England call it a darner, darning needle, or, less commonly, a devil's darning needle, and those in the Upper North also refer to it just as a needle; those in coastal New Jersey, a spindle. dragonfly Darning needle | Article about darning needle by The Free Dictionary Darning needle | Article about darning needle by The Free Dictionary Related to darning needle: devil's darning needle dragonfly, any insect insect, invertebrate animal of the class Insecta of the phylum Arthropoda. Like other arthropods, an insect has a hard outer covering, or exoskeleton, a segmented body, and jointed legs. Adult insects typically have wings and are the only flying invertebrates. ..... Click the link for more information. of the order Odonata, which also includes the damselfly.

Members of this order are generally large predatory insects and characteristically have chewing mouthparts and four membranous, net-veined wings; they undergo complete metamorphosis metamorphosis [Gr.,=transformation], in zoology, term used to describe a form of development from egg to adult in which there is a series of distinct stages. Many insects, amphibians, mollusks, crustaceans, and fishes undergo metamorphosis, which may involve a change in habitat, ..... Click the link for more information. . Species are found throughout the world except in the polar regions; the greatest variety occurs in the tropics. Dragonflies, which are commonly called horse stingers and devil's darning needles, are strong fliers with elongated bodies; they rest with their wings outstretched. Some are 5 in. (12.7 cm) long. Damselflies are generally smaller, with slender, often brilliantly colored, bodies and rest with their wings folded back. The giant helicopter damselfly of tropical America has a wingspan of 7.5 in. (19 cm). Both dragonflies and damselflies lay eggs on or near water.

The nymphs are aquatic and breathe by means of gills located at the end of the abdomen; the gills can also be used for propulsion through the water. The nymphs feed on insect larvae and are an important food for fish and birds. When grown, they crawl up out of the water and molt. Most species produce a single generation each year, with the nymph stage usually overwintering. Both nymphs and adults prey on mosquitoes and other insects and are harmless, indeed beneficial, to humans. Fossil remains of a form from the Permian period, with a wingspread of 2 1-2 ft (76 cm), have been found. Modern dragonflies and damselflies are classified in the phylum Arthropoda Arthropoda [Gr.,=jointed feet], largest and most diverse animal phylum. The arthropods include crustaceans, insects, centipedes, millipedes, spiders, scorpions, and the extinct trilobites. ..... Click the link for more information. , class Insecta, order Odonata.

dragonfly [′drag·ən‚flī] (invertebrate zoology) Any of the insects composing six families of the suborder Anisoptera and having four large, membranous wings and compound eyes that provide keen vision. dragonfly 1. any predatory insect of the suborder Anisoptera, having a large head and eyes, a long slender body, two pairs of iridescent wings that are outspread at rest, and aquatic larvae: order Odonata 2. any other insect of the order Odonata Dining needle - definition of Dining needle by The Free Dictionary Dining needle - definition of Dining needle by The Free Dictionary Also found in: Thesaurus , Encyclopedia , Wikipedia . drag·on·fly (drăg′ən-flī′) n. Any of numerous predatory insects of the order Odonata, having large eyes, a long slender body, and two pairs of transparent veined wings, especially those of the order Anisoptera, which hold the wings outstretched when at rest, as distinguished from the damselflies.

Also called regionally darner, darning needle, devil's darning needle, mosquito fly, mosquito hawk, needle, skeeter hawk, snake doctor, snake feeder, spindle. Our Living Language Regional terms for the dragonfly are numerous—the Dictionary of American Regional English lists nearly 80 of them. The greatest variety of terms is to be found in the South, where the most widespread term is snake doctor (a name based on a folk belief that dragonflies take care of snakes). The Midland equivalent is snake feeder. Speakers from the Lower South and the Mississippi Valley, on the other hand, are more likely to refer to the same insect as a mosquito fly, mosquito hawk, or, in the South Atlantic states, a skeeter hawk. The imagery outside the South often alludes to the insect's shape rather than its behavior or diet: speakers in the West, in the Upper North, and in New England call it a darner, darning needle, or, less commonly, a devil's darning needle, and those in the Upper North also refer to it just as a needle; those in coastal New Jersey, a spindle. dragonfly (ˈdræɡənˌflaɪ) n, pl -flies 1.

(Animals) any predatory insect of the suborder Anisoptera, having a large head and eyes, a long slender body, two pairs of iridescent wings that are outspread at rest, and aquatic larvae: order Odonata. See also damselfly 2. (Animals) any other insect of the order Odonata drag•on•fly (ˈdræg ənˌflaɪ) n., pl. -flies. any nonstinging insect of the order Odonata (suborder Anisoptera), distinguished from the damselfly by having the wings open when at rest. [1620–30] drag·on·fly (drăg′ən-flī′) Any of various insects having a long slender body and two pairs of many-veined wings that are held outstretched at rest. ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend: Devil's darning needle | Article about devil's darning needle by The Free Dictionary Devil's darning needle | Article about devil's darning needle by The Free Dictionary Also found in: Dictionary , Thesaurus , Wikipedia .

devil's darning needle: see dragonfly dragonfly, any insect of the order Odonata, which also includes the damselfly. Members of this order are generally large predatory insects and characteristically have chewing mouthparts and four membranous, net-veined wings; they undergo complete metamorphosis. ..... Click the link for more information. . Want to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us , add a link to this page, or visit the webmaster's page for free fun content . Link to this page: Copyright © 2003-2017 Farlex, Inc Disclaimer All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional. Oiling The Devil’s Darning Needle « The Science Essayist Oiling The Devil’s Darning Needle June 6th, 2010 | Meera In the fall of 1889, just past the height of bug-season in his home state, Henry C.

M’Cook—then-Vice-President of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia and Vice-Director of the American Entomological Society—wrote a lively article for the North American Review in which he outlined ways of mitigating the reign of the pestilential mosquito. Four pages into his arguments, he found himself distracted (as we all are, from time to time) by a dragonfly. I have read of a school—if memory serves me truly, it was situate in that highly-developed center of American civilization, New York City—whose session was broken up by the advent of an innocent dragon-fly through an open window. An alarm raised by one scholar passed through the entire room: “A devil’s darning needle! A devil’s darning needle!” The ominous phrase, piped in the shrill quaver of terrified childhood, alarmed the teacher, and the agitation became so general that the school had to be dismissed as an act of humanity. I love the gentle sarcasm in that. “Act of humanity.” Dr. M’Cook, you were one sly scientist.

In their 2005 book A Dazzle of Dragonflies , Forrest Mitchell and James Lasswell explain that the dragonfly-epithet “devil’s darning needle” has its origins in the Europe of the Middle Ages. The long and slender shape of the insect’s body, combined with the superstitious belief that it, like the fly —consort of Beelzebub—was in league with the darkest of forces, produced a myth durable enough to make the journey with the colonists to the United States. Today in Iowa, the authors write, “devil’s darning needles sew together the fingers or toes of a person who falls asleep…in Kansas, they may sew up the mouths of scolding women, saucy children…and profane men.” Dragonflies, of course, do no such thing. In fact, creatures belonging to the order Odonata—Latin for “toothed,” a reference to the chewing mandibles dragonflies share with most other insects—and the infraorder Anisoptera—Latin for “unequal wings,” because dragonflies have broader hindwings than forewings—have no sting, let alone needlepoint.

They are perfectly harmless to humans, if not to their prey: smaller insects, including ants, bees, and the mosquitoes that so irritated M’Cook. I tell you these things today because I spent the morning at Promontory Point, winding my way along the rocky strand where Lake Michigan hits Hyde Park—and, by the by, watching a levitation of dragonflies dart back and forth across the path and wheel between tall grasses. (I could find no consensus on the proper collective noun for dragonflies, if any exists. Mitchell and Lasswell offer dazzle; I went my own way.) Whatever you call them, they were magnificent: swift and glittering and alarmingly unpredictable—I had to duck, once, to get out of the way. So erratic were their flight paths that they seemed almost invulnerable to the greedy swoops of the ring-billed gulls that flew overhead. I’m not sure which of the hundred or so species of dragonfly known to be seen in Illinois I was looking at. But there must have been at least two distinct kinds dancing in between each others’ wings, because all were fully grown, but some were large and some were small.

Dragonflies, like almost all other winged insects, have already gone through their final molt by the time they are able to fly, and so every dragon in the air is an adult. I saw a flash of blue, though I do not think what I saw was little enough to have been the impossibly wee Elfin Skimmer (Nannothemis bella). And it is a little late now for the Green Darner (Anax junius), a common sight around Chicago in the spring and fall. (The Darner is one of a tiny number of dragonflies that migrate seasonally. Recent study suggests that the most persevering of these creatures may cover round-trip distances as long as 16,000 kilometers . This is, coincidentally, nearly identical to the length of my own annual migration between Chicago and Singapore—a fact that floors me. When I get off that plane, I am bone-tired, dog-tired, dead-tired: but apparently not dragonfly-tired.

I am shamed by insect-endurance.) The other reason I tell you these things today is that the last time I got as close to an Anisopteran as I did this morning, I was in the New Orleans bayou, a year after Katrina. I remember being surprised then by their calm fearlessness: the way they would land on the edges of leaves right there under my nose, and turn their heads, set with eyes as heavy and faceted as precious stones. They let me come close enough to feel the air brush away from their wings as they took off again, and maybe their tranquility came from the sure and certain knowledge that they far outnumbered our curious band of swamp explorers. The coastal plains of Louisiana are dragonfly country. The air there is thick with the sound of their flight. Which is why it is so hard to think of the way that country has changed over the past six weeks. Consider this: I. Oil Prevents Emergence By the time we see a dragonfly, it has reached the end of its multifarious life cycle. Female dragonflies lay their eggs in or near water, and the nymph and larval stages both exist aquatically.

The larvae of some species may spend a few months or as long as several years underwater before crawling above the surface to metamorphose into their final, satin-winged forms. (I love thinking about this life, by the way—a life so focused on growth and preparation, in which the fulfillment of one’s basic plan for existence is vital, of course, but temporally inconsequential. I imagine myself like this right now, hunkered down, eating and growing and having no idea of what ultimate shape I will take, what satin wings I will have.) But on the Gulf Coast, oil has flowed into the salt marshes where dragonflies lay their eggs—spread itself like a blanket over their underwater atmosphere. As long as its black covering remains, dragonfly larvae from eggs laid weeks or months or years ago will be unable to split the water’s surface without at once covering themselves in pitch. II. Oil Looks Better Than Water Like many other insects, fish, and mammals (though not humans), dragonflies are sensitive to the presence of polarized light. The light receptor cells in their retinas are full of the photoreceptive protein called rhodopsin. So are ours.

But in the human eye, rhodopsin molecules within each cell are arranged haphazardly, with their axes running at random angles. As a result, our eyes collect light indiscriminately. We have no way of differentiating scattered light, whose waves vibrate in all directions, from polarized light—in which vibrations have been restricted to a single plane. In dragonfly eyes, rhodopsin molecules within each light receptor cell are aligned in parallel. That means the molecules preferentially absorb beams of light whose waves are vibrating in the same direction and enter the eye in the same orientation: thus hitting all those neatly arranged rhodopsin molecules at just the angle towards which they collectively lean. In other words, dragonfly eyes are especially greedy for polarized light. And since large, flat bodies of water like ponds, lakes, and oceans polarize light as they reflect it, that’s a pretty helpful attribute for an insect that hunts, mates, and lay its eggs over water. Except water isn’t the only thing that reflects polarized light. Not by a long shot. Dark-colored cars do it. Glossy black tombstones do it.

Both have been shown to confuse insects like dragonflies, which often choose to mate above such objects instead of above water, and even attempt to lay their eggs on these strange, inhospitable surfaces. And then there is crude oil. Thick, black, shiny crude oil, the kind covering vast swathes of the Gulf of Mexico at the moment. In the late 1990s, a group of Hungarian scientists found themselves intrigued by the odd behavior of dragonflies that hovered and mated around the shiny black surface of the open-air waste oil reservoir in Budapest. By comparing the number of dragonflies that were caught in traps containing plain water, salad oil, and crude oil, the researchers convincingly demonstrated that the glittering creatures “can be deceived by and attracted to crude and waste oil.” In fact, their results suggested dragonflies actually prefer crude oil to water, probably because oil more strongly polarizes light. On the Gulf Coast, then, it seems more than likely that as we speak, dragonflies are taking oil for water. We are oiling the devil’s darning needle—just when it would, perhaps, do very well to sew together our fingers and toes.

Photo: Gerald Herbert/AP Dragonfly | Define Dragonfly at Dictionary.com dragonfly noun, plural dragonflies. 1. any of numerous stout-bodied, nonstinging insects of the order Odonata (suborder Anisoptera), the species of which prey on mosquitoes and other insects and are distinguished from the damselflies by having the wings outstretched rather than folded when at rest. 2. (initial capital letter) Military. a two-seat, twin-turbojet U.S. attack aircraft in service since 1967, armed with a Minigun and capable of carrying nearly 5700 pounds (2585 kg) of ordnance. Origin of dragonfly Regional variation note Expand 1. the dragonfly is also called a darning needle and a devil's darning needle in the Northern and Western U.S. In the Northern U.S. it is also called a sewing needle. In the Midland U.S. it is called a snake feeder, in the South Midland and Southern U.S. a snake doctor, and in the Southern U.S., especially in the Southern Coastal areas, it is called a mosquito hawk or a skeeter hawk.

Spindle is also in use, chiefly in New Jersey and in the Delaware Valley. Ear sewer is in older use in some scattered regional areas. Dictionary.com Unabridged Dragonflies - definition of Dragonflies by The Free Dictionary Dragonflies - definition of Dragonflies by The Free Dictionary Also found in: Thesaurus , Encyclopedia , Wikipedia . drag·on·fly (drăg′ən-flī′) n. Any of numerous predatory insects of the order Odonata, having large eyes, a long slender body, and two pairs of transparent veined wings, especially those of the order Anisoptera, which hold the wings outstretched when at rest, as distinguished from the damselflies. Also called regionally darner, darning needle, devil's darning needle, mosquito fly, mosquito hawk, needle, skeeter hawk, snake doctor, snake feeder, spindle. Our Living Language Regional terms for the dragonfly are numerous—the Dictionary of American Regional English lists nearly 80 of them. The greatest variety of terms is to be found in the South, where the most widespread term is snake doctor (a name based on a folk belief that dragonflies take care of snakes). The Midland equivalent is snake feeder.

Speakers from the Lower South and the Mississippi Valley, on the other hand, are more likely to refer to the same insect as a mosquito fly, mosquito hawk, or, in the South Atlantic states, a skeeter hawk. The imagery outside the South often alludes to the insect's shape rather than its behavior or diet: speakers in the West, in the Upper North, and in New England call it a darner, darning needle, or, less commonly, a devil's darning needle, and those in the Upper North also refer to it just as a needle; those in coastal New Jersey, a spindle. dragonfly (ˈdræɡənˌflaɪ) n, pl -flies 1. (Animals) any predatory insect of the suborder Anisoptera, having a large head and eyes, a long slender body, two pairs of iridescent wings that are outspread at rest, and aquatic larvae: order Odonata. See also damselfly 2. (Animals) any other insect of the order Odonata drag•on•fly (ˈdræg ənˌflaɪ) n., pl. -flies.

any nonstinging insect of the order Odonata (suborder Anisoptera), distinguished from the damselfly by having the wings open when at rest. [1620–30] drag·on·fly (drăg′ən-flī′) Any of various insects having a long slender body and two pairs of many-veined wings that are held outstretched at rest. ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend: sewing needles (odonate) - Memidex dictionary/thesaurus en​.wikipedia​.org​/wiki​/Dragonfly Dragonfly (disambiguation) a flying insect of the order Odonata. Dragonfly may also refer to: Boeing X-50 Dragonfly, an unmanned aerial surveillance vehicle designed by the U.S. military | Cessna A-37 Dragonfly, a US attack aircraft | DF Helicopters DF334 (Dragon Fly 334), an ...

(39 of 561 words, 55 definitions) Odonata | insect order | Britannica.com insect order arthropod Odonata, insect order comprising the dragonflies (suborder Anisoptera) and the damselflies (suborder Zygoptera). The adults are easily recognized by their two pairs of narrow, transparent wings, sloping thorax, and long, usually slender body; the abdomen is almost always longer than any of the wings. Large, active by day, and often strikingly coloured, they are usually seen flying near water. Adult odonates are voracious predators, as are the aquatic larvae. Male jewelwing damselfly (Calopteryx splendens). G.I. Bernard/Oxford Scientific Films Ltd. The name dragonfly is commonly applied to all odonates, but it is also used to differentiate the suborder Anisoptera from the suborder Zygoptera. The order Odonata is small and well known; the total number of living species probably does not greatly exceed the 5,000 or so already described.

Odonates are globally distributed from the tropics, where they are most numerous and varied, to the boreal forests of Siberia and North America . They are also found throughout the Southern Hemisphere, with the exception of Antarctica. Dragonfly (Libellula forensis). E.S. Ross While the basic structure of adults is uniform, coloration is highly variable—hues range from metallic to dull, sometimes in combination. There is also a wide range of sizes; damselfly species have both the shortest and longest wingspans—about 18 mm and 19 cm (0.71 inch and 7.5 inches), respectively. However, some fossil ancestors of today’s odonates had wingspans of more than 70 cm (28 inches). Odonate life cycle. Click each stage to view details. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. Odonates are among the few insects that have secured a major place in folklore and art. In Japan, where a journal (Tombo) has been devoted to reports of their biology since 1958, dragonflies (Odonata) traditionally have been held in high regard.

In other Asian cultures they are considered benign and auspicious , but in Europe they have often been perceived as threatening, even though they do not injure humans. Long-standing vernacular names such as horse stinger, snake doctor, and devil’s darning needle testify to their formidable appearance. Similar Topics ice bug The young, termed larvae or sometimes nymphs, are functionally wingless and live in a variety of shallow freshwater habitats including tree holes, ponds, marshes, and streams. They are often bottom-dwelling and are well-camouflaged, their mottled or drab colours matching the sediments or water plants around them. Although large numbers of mosquitoes and other insect pests are consumed by larvae and adults, odonates are generally indiscriminate feeders that seldom affect humans economically. Larvae, however, have been used successfully in Myanmar to interrupt transmission of the mosquito-borne disease dengue . Natural history The larval stage Eggs are laid in or very near water (exceptions include the terrestrial larvae of a few Hawaiian damselflies (Megalagrion) and Australian woodland dragonflies of the genus Pseudocordulia).

The hatchlings then develop through a series of stages, or instars , molting at the end of each instar into similar, but larger and more developed, versions of themselves. Very soon after leaving the egg, the first instar (prolarva) sheds its cuticular sheath, releasing the tiny, spiderlike larva. Because it is aquatic, the larva differs markedly in structure and behaviour from the flight-oriented adult. Wing sheaths are not even apparent in the early instars; it is not until about halfway through larval development that they appear, becoming rapidly larger during subsequent molts. Larvae molt approximately 8 to 17 times, and some grow to more than 5 cm (2 inches) in length. The number of instars varies both within and between species. Early instars feed actively on various small water animals, including tiny crustaceans and protozoans; during later instars the larva feeds on larger prey such as midge larvae, aquatic beetles, snails, and even small fishes. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. Ultimate Animals Quiz Larval development can range from three weeks to more than 8 years, depending on the species and habitat.

Tropical species generally take less time to develop than those of colder climates. Many temperate species spend their last winter in the final instar and emerge during the spring and early summer. Others spend their last winter as eggs, earlier instars, or immature adults. Odonate larvae are preyed upon mainly by fish but also by frogs, birds, crayfish, and each other. Both larvae and adults are sometimes parasitized by flukes, tapeworms, and mites; minute wasps can parasitize eggs. During emergence odonates are particularly vulnerable to predation by birds, spiders, amphibians, and reptiles. Britannica Stories Ringling Bros. Folds Its Tent There is no pupal stage among odonates, but toward the end of the last instar the larva stops feeding, and its organs transform into those of an adult within the larval skin. A few days later it climbs out of the water on a suitably robust support (usually vegetation) and molts to disclose the adult—a process known as emergence. If the air temperature is high enough, the largest dragonflies will leave the water after sunset and take flight just before sunrise; smaller species typically emerge during the day.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. The adult stage The newly emerged adult dragonfly is soft, pale, and reproductively immature. After the wings straighten and the body hardens, one of its first actions is to fly away from water and begin feeding, although a day or more may separate the first flight from the first meal. Once it has left the emergence site, the adult has few regular enemies. In flight adults are able to evade almost all predators except for extremely agile birds such as bee-eaters and falcons. Frogs are regular predators at egg-laying sites. Common bluetail damselfly (Ischnura senegalensis). © Index Open Adult life consists of two phases—the prereproductive, or maturation, period and the reproductive period. Maturation generally lasts about 2 weeks but can take anywhere from 1 to 60 days, depending on species, climate, and weather. When the maturation period serves to bridge dry or cold seasons, however, it can last nine months or more. A dragonfly resting on a strawberry plant.

© Petrova Olga Vladimirovna/Shutterstock.com The reproductive period begins when a sexually mature adult dragonfly flies to the mating rendezvous, usually the margin of a body of water where the eggs will be laid. Males assemble there slightly earlier than females and space themselves along the shore or over the water. At the rendezvous site defense by males ranges from negligible to intense. Actively defending males establish an area of characteristic extent, much as birds defend territories . Where sites are intensely defended, an individual may return to the same perch for many successive days and expel intruders. When a male adult approaches or enters a territory occupied by another individual of the same species, the occupant acts aggressively, and an aerial agility contest often ensues; thus, territories are held by the most vigorous males. Violent confrontations between rival males sometimes result in injury or death. If a female adult approaches or enters a territory, the resident male tries to mate with her. In some species mating is preceded by a courtship display during which the female accepts or rejects the male, who tries to guide her to an egg-laying site in his territory. Usually, however, there is no evident prelude and mating occurs immediately.

Connect with Britannica Facebook Twitter YouTube Instagram Pinterest The mating posture is unique among insects. With the claspers at the end of his abdomen, the male grasps the top of the female’s head or prothorax, thus forming the tandem position. The male’s movements then induce her to bring the tip of her abdomen forward so that it meets his accessory sex organs at the base of his abdomen, where he has deposited the sperm . This so-called “wheel” position enables the female to receive her partner’s sperm. The wheel can be formed in flight, and, although mated adults usually alight promptly, many odonates are able to fly together this way—a remarkable and elegant sight. The couple remains joined in this way for a few seconds to several hours, depending on the species. Little of this time, however, is spent actually transferring sperm. Instead, the male is mainly occupied with using his accessory sex organs to displace sperm that may have been deposited in the female by previous mates. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. After mating, the female usually lays eggs immediately. She may do so alone, or her partner may be still attached in tandem or hovering nearby, darting at other males that approach.

Such guarding is extremely important to the male, as the one that mates last with the female is the one whose sperm first fertilizes the eggs laid during the next day or so. Eggs are laid in several ways. Species with a well-formed ovipositor place them either within or on plant tissue, above or in the water. Some climb beneath the water’s surface to lay and may remain submerged for an hour or more. Species without an ovipositor dip the abdomen in water (sometimes while in flight) and wash the eggs off or stick them onto leaves of plants close to the water’s surface. Others drop them through the air onto the water’s surface. Eggs that are laid in running water usually possess adhesive or tangling devices that prevent their being swept downstream. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. Adults Basic structure The principal structural features of adult odonates reflect adaptations to flight. Adults have two pairs of narrow, typically transparent wings and a long, slender abdomen consisting of 10 segments. The head has prominent eyes and inconspicuous antennae, and the thorax is tilted along the body’s axis.

The sloping thorax accommodates very large wing muscles and sets the legs forward, where they can best grasp prey. Consequently, odonates are well adapted to perching but are largely unable to walk on flat surfaces. Where the head joins the thorax, a delicate orientation organ maintains equilibrium during flight. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. Odonates are considered to have excellent vision, and the large compound eyes , acutely responsive to movement and form, play an important role in capturing food and interacting with other individuals. In most dragonflies (suborder Anisoptera) the compound eyes meet at the top of the head and can consist of 30,000 individual optical units, or ommatidia. Their large eyes give some anisopterans a nearly 360-degree view of their environment . Among certain dragonflies of the family Aeshnidae that fly only in subdued light (e.g., Gynacantha), the eyes occupy almost the entire surface of the head. Damselflies (suborder Zygoptera), on the other hand, have eyes that are well separated. Odonates also possess three tiny simple eyes called ocelli.

Trending Topics At the opposite end of the body, another structural difference between the two suborders can be seen: male damselflies have four tail appendages, whereas dragonflies have only three. Wings and flight The large wings are strengthened by a complex network of veins. Each wing also has a thickened patch (the pterostigma) on the leading edge of the wing tip. The forewings of dragonflies are narrower than the hind wings, which in certain migratory species (genera Libellula, Pantala, and Tramea) are expanded, permitting gliding flight. Female banded demoiselle (Calopteryx splendens), a species of damselfly. Kim Taylor/Bruce Coleman Ltd. Odonates use their wings in a unique manner. Whereas other insects with four wings beat them synchronously, odonates can beat the fore and hind pairs independently. This allows three different modes of flight in which the pairs beat (1) synchronously, as those of other insects, (2) alternately between the two sets, or (3) synchronously but out of phase with each other.

Such variations allow odonates a repertoire of aerobatic abilities that include hovering, backward flight, and turns of such tight radius that they are virtually midair pivots. Odonate aerodynamics have even been studied in the hope of applying the flight principles involved to aircraft. Reproduction The unique wheel position exhibited by Odonata can be regarded as a special way of transferring sperm. Instead of placing sperm on the ground or a leaf for the female to pick up (as certain primitive insects do), the male transfers it from genitalia near the tip of his abdomen to accessory sex organs at the base of his abdomen that are specially constructed to receive and transmit sperm to the female. Odonates that appear very similar may actually be different species; the sex organs are highly intricate and species-specific. Males have evolved various means of displacing the sperm of previous mates. Mating between species is hampered by the fact that odonates of the same species have interlocking structures on the male claspers and female head or prothorax that enable the wheel to be formed and made secure. Larvae Basic structure Like the adults, odonate larvae have large eyes, and anisopterans are generally stockier than zygopterans.

The most immediate method of distinguishing between larvae of the two suborders is by inspecting the abdomen. In most Zygoptera there are three external leaflike plates at the tip of the abdomen that function as gills. Among anisopterans the gills are internal growths of the hindgut wall that are ventilated as water is pumped in and out of the anus. Both respiratory systems are used in emergencies as methods for locomotion; jet propulsion via the anus is a particularly effective escape tactic employed by Anisoptera. Many zygopterans, on the other hand, use their leaflike plates to swim much as a fish uses its tail. Unlike the adults, the larvae show many structural variations that reflect the demands of different aquatic microhabitats with respect to respiration, locomotion, feeding, and concealment.

Species living within fine sediment (Aphylla), for example, are more or less cylindrical in cross-section, with a terminal siphon that maintains respiratory contact with the water above; those residing on the surface of mud or sand (Ictinogomphus) often are flattened, with prominent lateral spines on the abdomen; those living among plants near the surface (Anax, Lestes) are streamlined and very active. Feeding A larva captures prey in a very unusual way. Typically, it remains motionless until a victim is detected by sight or touch. When prey comes within range, the larva shoots out its highly developed, prehensile lower mouthpart (the labium), seizing the victim with the pincers at the end of it. The prey is then drawn back to the mandibles, where it is chewed and consumed. In the resting position the labium lies beneath the head and thorax, sometimes obscuring the front of the head; hence, it is commonly called the “mask.” It can be extended almost instantaneously (under 3/100 second) by a localized increase in blood pressure that is controlled by abdominal muscles.

A dragonfly larva captures a fish by extending its labial mask. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Question: The Devil's Darning Needle is a country name for which insect of the odonata order?
Answer: Dragonfly